


He Followed Me Home (Can I Keep Him?)

by antigrav_vector



Series: CapIM Bingo fills - 2016-2 [18]
Category: Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man - All Media Types, Iron Man Noir, Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Noir, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Barebacking, Cap_Ironman Bingo, Empathy, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Smut, Stony Bingo, Stony Bingo 2016, Telepathy, mer-Bucky, mer-Peggy, mer-Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 09:03:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8572396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: Tony was hot on the trail of the Xi'an'du daggers with Pepper and Jarvis at his side, when another startling discovery left him feeling like he got slapped in the face with a fish.Merfolk, it turned out, weren't as mythical as he'd always thought.Really, in retrospect, he probably should have known better than to think that, after all his experiences with magical creatures and artifacts, but, well, he's not perfect.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Woad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woad/gifts).



> A fill for the 'Oops' square on my bingo card, written in response to [Woad's amazing art](http://tinctoriawoad.tumblr.com/post/151200861135/this-was-originally-going-to-be-for-the-capim-trb). Thank you for sharing that gorgeous piece with us, darling!
> 
> Betaed by [lil_1337](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_1337).

It had been a long few weeks. Tony lay on his bedroll and contemplated the interior of his tent. They'd been trekking through the dense forests of Northern Scandinavia, on the trail of the Xi'an'du daggers, supposedly brought there by a very circuitous route in the late 18th century. They'd traced the thing here all the way from the steppes of Mongolia, via Kiev and St. Petersburg.

In the latter, they'd run into a group of hired killers hired by someone upset by their last job: rescuing an ancient High Latverian tome on some esoteric magical nonsense Tony hadn't had time to make heads or tails of from being burned during a governmental action to destroy magical artifacts. They'd managed to get the tome and smuggle it out of the country, but they'd been seen and identified.

Pepper and Jarvis had about skinned him alive after that little misadventure.

They'd gotten away, though, their lives and limbs intact, and made their escape into the northern reaches of Sweden.

There, they'd picked up the scent once more, following the trail described in the diary of the merchant who'd been carrying the daggers. It had led them here, deep into the wilderness. Out here, days away from civilization of any kind, it seemed like everything was quiet. It would be absolutely beautiful in winter, Tony knew, but also very unforgiving.

At least, since they were making the trip in summer, the trees were green and the hush that he associated with deep snow was far from his awareness.

"Mr. Stark," Pepper's voice broke into his thoughts, her tone deadly serious, "if you're not out here in the next two minutes, I intend to eat your share of breakfast."

She knew exactly how to motivate him, after the six years they'd worked together. When the war had finally ended, a year and a half ago, and Tony had sworn off adventuring for a while, he'd honestly thought she'd take off and find a new job. But she'd stayed on, commenting that he'd get tired of the civilian life within a month.

He'd lasted two weeks.

In his own defense, it had been an old friend asking for help. Fury hadn't always had his back, it was true, but he'd never actively sabotaged any of Tony's missions. They'd worked together during the war, albeit a bit uneasily. So when Fury had come to him, citing a possible threat to the very new and still fragile peace, Tony hadn't been able to refuse. Rhodey, on the other hand, had taken six months' leave to spend some time with his missus. He was back with them again now, but had requested that he stay stateside for another six months, now that the two of them had a child on the way. Tony couldn't refuse that request.

Sitting up with a quiet groan and stretching to loosen the stiffness in his neck and shoulders,Tony called back, "don't even think about it."

Pulling on his only clean change of clothes, Tony made a note to find a stream or something after they ate. They could spare an afternoon to do their washing. They'd made sure to bring enough supplies and food to have the flexibility to do such things every so often, and it had been a week since their last rest day.

Unzipping his tent flap, Tony stepped out into the bright dappled summer sunlight of the clearing they'd made camp in. Pepper had their small campfire burning merrily, and Jarvis was cooking up some of the powdered eggs and smoked bacon they'd brought with them. It made Tony's mouth water.

Jarvis looked up from the pan as Tony stepped up to the small fire. "So," he asked, "where does that journal say we need to go from here?"

Tony shrugged. "It says we should continue toward the coast. I say we should take a rest day."

Neither of them said another word as Jarvis plated up the food. Once they'd eaten, Jarvis leaned back against the log he'd chosen for a seat. "We could do with a rest day," he said simply.

Pepper nodded. "All my trousers are torn or muddy. Most are both."

\------

Things had started out peacefully, Tony thought to himself half-hysterically, hiding behind the trunk of a massive fir. The splashing he could just make out over the rushing roar of the falls continued.

He wasn't sure whether he was hallucinating or not, and he didn't dare rush back to the camp or call out to Pepper or Jarvis. Either option would give him away, and his native curiosity wouldn't allow him to do that.

He'd returned to the falls to bathe after having gathered up his now clean clothes and hung them to dry near their campfire, only to find that someone else had had the same idea. Someone distinctly nonhuman.

If he wasn't mistaken, that was either a watersprite grown massive or some type of freshwater merman. Or a hallucination. Though that last option was rapidly losing out to the appeal of the others.

The question was: what should he do?

If he left the creature in peace, he'd never know what it was or why it was here. If he didn't, he ran the risk of getting hurt or killed. If he managed to survive an attack, Pepper and Jarvis would finish the job then go after the creature and possibly kill him too.

A shrill whistle cut through the tangled thoughts he was trying to work his way through, and Tony winced.

_\--I know you're out there.--_

The voice was soft and seemed to drift into his head like fall leaves, dry and almost crackling. It made Tony jump and stumble over his own feet. By the time he'd caught his balance again, he was out in plain sight, and the merman was giving him a once over from head to toe.

He couldn't help the way he automatically swept the area for threats, cataloging everything. Not that there was anyone here but the merman. Who, Tony swallowed hard around the tightness in his throat, was staring at him with the sort of laser focus that tended to either mean he was in for a great time or an absolutely horrible one.

_\--I'm Steve. Who are you?--_

Left with the impression that physical speech was not a thing that Steve could do, Tony had to wonder whether he could hear human speech.

 _\--If I choose to.--_ Tony got the distinct impression of a smirk. _\--Are you always this easily distracted?--_

Shaking his head to clear it and wondering just how much of his thoughts it could hear, Tony managed to find the words to introduce himself. "You seem a friendly sort. I'm Tony Stark."

Pepper and Jarvis would likely tear him a new one for this.

_\--Your friends?--_

"Pepper and Jarvis?"

 _\--Loyalty, and fiery protectiveness,--_ Steve replied, cryptically, sounding oddly like he was remembering something that made him sad. _\--To the end of the line.--_

Tony gave up trying to decipher that after a moment. "If you say so."

_\--I didn't. You did.--_

"Right," Tony drew the word out slightly. "Anyway. Is this your pool?"

_\--Sometimes.--_

Tony waited, raising an eyebrow at the creature.

_\--This is an area courting couples favor.--_

Oh.

Tony fought not to blush. "Sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt."

He got the impression of bright laughter and the merman offered. _\--I had to fight Peggy for the rights.--_

And what that meant, Tony wasn't sure. But it sounded somewhere between a promise and a threat. "Rights to what?"

That question got him a sardonic look. _\--You.--_

What was even happening? Tony pinched his ear. Nope. Not dreaming. Setting aside the baffling idea that these merfolk had been fighting over him, Tony asked. "You're saying there are more of your kind around?"

_\--Not many. We're one of the smaller pods, and our den is a bit remote.--_

"How come no one's ever found your people?"

Steve made a face. _\--You ask too many questions. Come here.--_

Suddenly reminded of the myths of sirens and their tendency to drown those who dared approach them, Tony balked.

He got a distinctly frustrated look in return. _\--Why does everyone always think that,--_ Steve grumbled, put out. _\--That's a punishment reserved for rapists and killers.--_

"Uh-huh." This was surreal. "And what do you mean rights to me?"

 _\--I should have let Peggy have you,--_ he grumbled, his tail flicking hard enough to send a spray of water at Tony and drench him.

Tony yelped. "Hey!"

_\--There. Now you have no reason not to come join me.--_

"Pretty sure that's not how this is supposed to work," Tony grumbled back, wringing his shirt out as best he could and shivering a little in the cool breeze that kicked up at just the wrong moment. That water was cold, and now he was, too.

_\--It can work that way if we want it to. Come here, and I'll warm you up.--_

Tony couldn't help but stare. That was a blatant come-on, and probably lifted right from his head.

Steve smirked at him, showing off a hint of slightly pointed teeth, and added. _\--I can show you a good time, sugar.--_

Not sure whether to be more horrified, intrigued, or confused by the turn his day had taken, Tony laughed, knowing it had to sound slightly hysterical.

Steve frowned at him, then slid down into the water. He approached the bank of the pool, and to Tony's shock _walked_ up out of the water, nude, utterly unselfconscious, and dripping. He stopped in front of Tony, who found he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the droplet running down the side of Steve's neck and wondering why he was resisting this so hard.

When Steve reached for him, hands coming up to cup Tony's jaw, Tony didn't stop him.

Steve's skin was warm and soft, and after a beat Tony raised his own hands to touch. Those abs deserved a monument. To be enshrined in marble.

"Come on," Steve murmured, aloud this time. "Come lie with me."

"And if I do," Tony asked, "what happens?"

Steve huffed. "Don't tell me I have to explain to you how sex works."

Tony gave him a long level look. "I know enough about magic and magical creatures to know there's always a catch."

"Well," Steve pulled one hand away to rub at the nape of his neck, suddenly a bit unsure of himself, "that depends."

"On what?" Tony tried not to let the play of Steve's muscles distract him.

"What you want."

What the hell did that mean? "Gonna explain that?"

To Tony's surprise Steve went a bit shy. "Definitely should have let Peggy do this," he muttered.

More intrigued than wary, now, Tony brought his hands up from Steve's waist to his face and pushed Steve's arm out of the way. "Hey," he said, "you already know I'm not going to hurt you." Steve nodded, turning into the touch, and Tony was amazed to note that there was some kind of emotional resonance building between them, the longer they were in physical contact. Tearing his attention back to the topic at hand, he asked, "if I accept, it's not going to make me scaly, or bind us together forever, is it?"

A flash of humor that reminded Tony of crackling leaves again colored Steve's response. "Only if you and I both want it to."

The relief that ran through Tony was enough to leave him staggering on his feet.

Steve caught him without any real trouble.

"Are all of you this strong?" Tony wasn't sure he liked feeling like a swooning damsel.

Steve gave him a curious look. "Most of us, yes."

"Tony!" Jarvis's voice just about carried enough to be audible over the roar of the falls. "Tony, where are you?"

"Think about it," Steve told him. "I'll be back here at nightfall. If you are not, I'll assume you are not interested."

Before Tony could do more than blink, Steve dropped a chaste kiss on his forehead and was gone, disappearing under the water with barely a ripple to betray his presence.

"Tony!" Jarvis hurried up to him. "What the hell happened to you?"

"You know, old bird," Tony said, knowing he probably sounded about as stunned as he was, "I'm not entirely sure myself."

With a snort, Jarvis shook his head. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Come back to camp and eat something."

\------

Tony had debated what to tell Jarvis and Pepper as he'd followed his old friend back to their camp. They were sure to ask what had happened, but Tony wasn't sure he had an answer for them. The whole thing smacked of ancient creatures and magic, but it was not a kind that he was very familiar with. His specialty was more in the areas of architecture and artifacts. Give him a temple, and he could date it and tell you the style in which it was built, and by whom. Give him a dagger or a sword or a crystal statuette, and he could do the same. But this?

This smacked of something more powerful yet, and without knowing what it was, he was at a minor loss as to what to do.

It hadn't been until he'd been seated by their campfire and fed almost to bursting that Jarvis broached the topic again. "So," he'd said, "gonna tell us what happened?"

Tony had groaned and scrubbed at his face with his hands, noting absently that he needed to shave. "Well," he'd replied, "near as I can tell, I met a merman." The twin looks of stunned disbelief had made him laugh. "Yeah, I know. I had the same reaction."

"So what did he want?" Pepper had asked, ever practical, and visibly taking mental notes for the next Marvels issue.

"Me, apparently."

Tony had watched, caught between amusement and affection, as both of his companions had reacted with outrage and started yelling at him.

It had taken a long few minutes before they'd calmed down enough to let him continue.

Once they'd heard the full story, their reactions had mellowed slightly, but Tony just knew they wouldn't approve of his plan to go back to meet Steve later that night. In the end he'd said nothing about it. Both of them had likely guessed he would give in to his curiousity, but that was between him and Steve, at this point. 

\------

 _\--You came.--_ Steve looked up, the surprise in his voice and expression clearly saying he'd been convinced Tony wouldn't show.

Tony admired the figure Steve cut, lounging almost casually on a mostly-flat rock with his tail disappearing into the water like a smaller stream of green-blue scales. The tension in his body language ruined the impression of indolence he was trying to give. Looking up to meet Steve's eyes, Tony replied. "I did."

As he had earlier that afternoon, Steve slid into the water then walked up to him, watching Tony carefully as he moved.

The sight of the sinuous movements made Tony glad he'd had the remainder of the afternoon to come to terms with the idea that he was going to go through with this. "Steve?"

"Hm?"

"You've told me that doing this won't hurt me," he said quietly, "but what about you?"

The slight flinch his words got told Tony he'd hit the nail on the head.

"I'll be fine," Steve tried, stepping in close and leaning in for a proper kiss, this time.

Tony had Steve's number, now, though. "Oh no, you don't." He ducked away from the kiss, but wrapped his arms around Steve's waist. The move left them pressed together from shoulders to shins. Tony could feel the fine shivers running through Steve's frame, now. No matter the confidence this guy was projecting, he was nervous.

Suddenly on firmer footing and with a strong suspicion taking root, Tony ran his hands over the bared skin he could reach easily. "Hey, no, there's no need to rush. Have you done this before?" Tony felt it when Steve tensed all over and was prepared when he tried to pull away. Rather than let him, Tony followed the movement, keeping contact with Steve and watching his expression carefully. "I wasn't expecting to have a chance to do something like this with you," he went on, seeing the hint of fear threading through the nerves, letting his hands roam a little farther down Steve's back to tease at the firm muscle of his ass, "much less for your first time, so here's the deal. You've told me there won't be any huge consequences for me. Now you've gotta tell me what the consequences are for you."

The look of vague apprehension on Steve's face smoothed out, to be gradually replaced with a kind of wonder. "A choice," he replied, a bit cryptically.

"What choice?" Tony pressed, knowing that was likely the cause of the apprehension.

"You," Steve said, still looking a bit like he wanted to just scram, "or my home."

That... made no sense. "I don't follow."

Embarrassed again, Steve squirmed a little. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Not if it affects you this much," Tony shot back, putting his hands on Steve's and bringing them up to his jaw, where they had been before. "You'll be worrying about that instead of enjoying yourself." Steve's nerves seemed to zing up his spine like a shot of ice, and he bit back a startled sound. Keeping his hands on Steve's to keep them where they were, he added. "And I do want you to enjoy yourself."

The ice seemed to thaw and melt away. "You mean that."

Tony gave him a look. "If you've been around people who didn't mean that, I'm not surprised you haven't taken this step before."

"You," Steve swallowed, "you care. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"

Remembering Gialetta, Tony sighed. "Unfortunately, I do."

That seemed to loose a torrent of words.

"Then you know the why. A treasure like you," Steve's hands were suddenly at the buttons of his collar, working them deftly open. Tony startled, his hands flying to Steve's shoulders. "You light the world around you, igniting both loyalty and jealousy. Even among my people, such are difficult to find. It is tough to resist. When one of us finds such a person, there are few options."

Steve paused there, leaving Tony wondering why he had for a long moment. When it registered that Steve was staring at the metal plate of the repulsor pump, his hands now on the bared skin of Tony's stomach, Tony had to force down a flinch of his own, born of reflexive fear. Too many people had tried to take advantage of the weakness it represented.

The reaction made Steve look up at him, and Tony could tell he was angry. "What is it?"

He didn't need to specify what he meant. Tony swallowed, hesitating to answer.

Steve picked up on that, too, and scowled. "It hurts you?"

"Not... exactly." Tony replied, though that was shading the truth more than a little. It ached, bone deep, in the cold and the damp. Right now, though, he was alright. To his surprise, that answer made Steve's scowl deepen and Tony found himself pulled in close. It was a protective move, though, and oddly soothing. When was the last time he'd been hugged? "It keeps me alive," he eventually said, knowing Steve would immediately see right through any lie, but not wanting to spill his guts.

Nodding, accepting that for now, Steve asked, "Will you tell me more later?"

The hint that Steve would be sticking around made Tony pull back a little ways, so he could look Steve in the eye. "How much later? And what was that about options?"

"The answer to both depends on you." Steve ducked his head a little. "If, after, you want to leave and go back to your life as it was before, I won't refuse you."

"But?" Tony could tell they were finally getting to the crux of the matter.

"But, if you'll have me, I'd go with you."

Ah. That explained a lot; Steve had hinted at this before. "So," Tony drew out the word a little, "if we have sex, you end up bound to me, in some way."

"Only if you want it, too." Steve answered again, as he had the first time. "If not, the magics will not bind anyone."

Right, magic and consent. Not all magics required consent, but those that didn't had to be constantly reinforced or they would wear off naturally thanks to the subject's own free will. Tony considered Steve. "Then why are you forced to make this choice?"

The question got him a sigh as Steve gave in and answered, rather than avoiding the question again. "It's a rite of passage among my people," he said sounding like he wanted to jump back into the water and ignore the problem some more. "We normally spend four seasons with our first full-human lovers, unless they refuse. That usually doesn't happen."

Tony could hear the implied, 'but no one seems to want me.'

With the current political and social attitudes toward homosexual relationships, Tony reflected, that wasn't actually too shocking. And not many women would be wandering this far out into the wilderness. Still fewer would be unmarried or interested in a lover what they couldn't get rid of for a year.

So the question was: was he? Did he want Steve to follow him around for a year on his adventures? To follow him into his bed? And, perhaps more importantly, could he do it discreetly enough not to make headlines?

He kind of did want that. There was a much better chance of this relationship working out than most of his flings, and he was getting quite tired of their depressingly consistent endings: 'sorry, Tony, but I can't be a soldier's girl'; 'sorry, Tony, but I'm not going to wait around while you run around the globe exploring'; 'sorry, Tony, but I'm actually working for your enemies'.

He hadn't been with a man in years, either. Not since before the War had broken out. It simply hadn't been worthwhile. Sure, having someone warm his bed for a night was nice enough, but he wanted something more. Something steadier.

And it looked like fate had seen fit to throw that in his lap.

"Steve," he said carefully, making a snap decision, "there's a lot more to this than what I want. I'm well-known, and my every movement is watched unless I'm out in the wilderness like I am now." It was part of why he liked adventuring. "So if we do this... if you follow me back to my home, you will be instantly famous as well, and the whole world will want to take a bite out of you. To know your history. Even if our arrangement is only for a year. If that idea bothers you, if you think you'd be upset or unhappy... I don't want to do this to you."

"That kind of thinking," Steve replied, "is exactly why I want you."

Well, never let it be said that Tony turned down a direct offer like that. When Steve reached for him, pulling him in close by one hip, Tony went with the movement. "It gets really intense. This won't be like running away from home to live with a fisherman for a year."

"Tony, shut up." 

Steve's mouth was suddenly on his, and Tony felt a wave of mixed awe and want and frustration wash through him like a tide of warm water with ice cubes in it. Not sure what Steve was getting from him, Tony tried to set the thoughts aside.

After that, it was like falling into a heated bath. The emotions ricocheting between them felt like air bubbles against his skin, effervescent and almost ticklish, but warm almost to the point of being too hot. Tony just knew he was flushed bright red from his ears down to his collarbone, and was pretty sure he was about to come out of his own skin, just from the feeling of a kiss.

Wanting more, curious about the way this connection would affect actually having sex, Tony let himself relax against Steve, who made a pleased sound in the back of his throat.

The kiss broke for a brief moment, as Steve led him toward a small thicket of what looked like wild blackberries, and the sensation of warmth receded. Tony felt bereft immediately for all that his mind was a lot clearer. 

Rather than protest, though, Tony went with it. "I hope you've got a plan in mind to keep those thorns from shredding our skin," he quipped.

"They won't," Steve promised as he ducked into the small sheltered space, pulling Tony after him by one hand, "as long as you don't try to stand up straight."

Following Steve in and ducking to keep from getting tangled in the thatch of branches that made up the 'ceiling' of the little bower, Tony glanced around. Steve had clearly spent some of the afternoon preparing for this. He'd acquired a thick pad of some interesting foam-like material Tony thought might be sea sponge to use as a mattress, and lined it with a soft blanket made of a fiber unknown to Tony. There were no pillows, but that was not an insurmountable problem.

A small selection of snacks and water, and a bottle of what Tony suspected might be lubricant waited in a basket beside the bed.

And Steve was waiting for him to say something, watching him almost anxiously. Now that he was paying attention, Tony could feel the nerves crawling up his spine, prickling as they went, like goosebumps.

Clearly, it was Tony's turn to coax and reassure. "Come here," he said. "This is fine for tonight. But if you're serious about wanting to do this, I'm going to have to insist that the next time be in my bed. It'll change your world."

Steve huffed at him, but relaxed. "We'll see."

Tony pushed at Steve's shoulder until he got the message and settled on the mattress, not letting go of Tony's hand. The grace inherent in the movement made Tony want, again, as he was pulled down to kneel beside Steve, who had tucked his feet under his ass.

The pose made him look even more like a Greek statue, which was grossly unfair.

On the other hand, this was Tony's to enjoy and worship for the next year, if he so chose.

It was quite a tempting prospect, Tony reflected as his hands trailed lightly over the skin of Steve's shoulders and chest.

"You never answered my question," Tony prompted, when the silence had drawn out enough that he felt he should break it.

"Question?" Steve sounded almost drunk. Intoxicated by simple touches.

"Have you," Tony caught his eyes, "done this before?"

To his surprise Steve shifted a bit uncomfortably, then admitted, "Never with a full-human man."

Under the layer of bluster and confidence lay a man Tony suspected would prove to be warm and caring, if a bit unsure of himself. He grinned. "That means I can show you the ropes. But," he paused to stress the word, "there are a few rules you have to follow."

"Yeah?" Steve picked up on his mood quickly, as expected. "What are they?"

"First," Tony told him, leaning in for another brief kiss, "I expect you to tell me if you don't like something."

Steve hummed happily. "Alright, but I doubt that will be a problem. The other rules?"

"Second, I expect you to tell me what you've tried and liked. In as much detail as you want." Tony kissed and licked his way down Steve's neck, lingering over his pulsepoint and enjoying the effervescent warmth beginning to run through him again. The move got him a quiet groan.

Plastering himself to Steve and pushing him incrementally down onto the soft blanket, Tony set his teeth in strong muscle and bit down lightly, getting a louder sound in response.

"I--" Steve's voice caught on the words, a shot of mixed lust and nerves going through him like an icecube dancing across a hot stove, and he had to clear his throat before he could continue. "I'm not sure what you humans call it," he said, acquiescing to the demand, "but one of the women I was with did this thing with her mouth."

Tony released his mouthful of Steve to reply and shift farther downward. He had a suspicion he knew what Steve meant, but wanted to hear Steve say it out loud. "Oh? What did she do?"

"Tony," Steve whined at him and squirmed at the feeling of Tony's beard scraping against his skin. It took him a moment to continue. "She took me in her mouth and swallowed me down."

Steve sounded like the words were being torn out of him, and damn if that wasn't a hell of a turn on. Not to mention the mental image of taking Steve's cock in his mouth. Tony shifted down those last few inches to tease at Steve's nipple with his teeth, plucking at the other with his fingers.

Steve bucked up and whined at him again, his hands flying up to Tony's shoulders. He didn't pull Tony away, though. If anything, he was trying to pull Tony closer, and the sensation of effervescent heat that Tony was beginning to associate with sexual desire went somehow darker, taking on an edge that it hadn't had before. Tony took that as an invitation to continue what he was doing.

Continuing to worry at the nub of flesh, Tony found he could pull the most amazing sounds out of Steve, accompanied by that amazing feeling of warmth generated by the lust he knew was pounding through Steve, and what he suspected was satisfaction.

"You know," Tony said, as he pulled away and blew across the nipple he'd been worrying at to blow a stream of cool air across it, "that's not a lot to go on. Continue. What else do you like?"

"I haven't done much else," Steve managed to reply without much more than a hitch in his breath. "What you're doing is nice."

"Nice, huh?" Tony smirked against Steve's skin when he didn't get a verbal answer. One of his hands drifted down Steve's flank and came to a rest in the hollow of his knee. The emotions resonating between them shifted, taking on more than a hint of anticipation. "Okay, last question: do you want me in you or riding you?"

Somewhat to Tony's surprise, that question -- or perhaps the mental images that went with it -- proved too much for Steve, who came all over himself and lay on the mattress, limp and gasping for air as the sensations bouncing between them calmed to a warm glow, like embers on a winter night. "You can't just _say_ things like that," he complained.

Even as he was forced to hold himself back from coming with a firm grip on the base of his own cock, Tony snickered at him. "Sure I can."

Succeeding at holding himself back sent a shock of warm pleasure down his spine, and he slowly eased up on his grip before draping the length of his body over Steve's. "So which do you want? I'm assuming you can go another round."

Steve shivered at the touch of the cold metal plate of the repulsor cover and blushed again, somehow embarrassed despite the intimate position they were already in, before he nodded. "Sometimes, I can go for three."

Well, shit.

This offer of a live-in lover was looking like a more and more attractive idea with every minute. "Good, then we can try both," Tony decided, and hauled at the inside of Steve's knee, spreading him wide and settling in the space between Steve's legs. "Want to start now?"

Steve made a choked sound, but he nodded again, eagerly. "Please."

Tony reached for the basket he'd noticed, fumbling with its contents since he didn't want to look away from Steve. It took him a moment, but he found the lube, and paused. "You know what's about to happen, right?"

Steve gave him a flat look. "I do. Stop teasing and get to it."

"Oh, no," Tony disagreed, "I don't think so. If this is the first time you're actually doing it, rather than thinking about it, we're doing this the right way. You," Tony told him firmly, "are going to tell me if it hurts more than you think it should. A bit of a stretch is normal, but with your ... Unique physiology, I don't know what to expect."

Steve stared up at him for a moment that stretched like taffy before he nodded. "Fine."

Agreement obtained, Tony didn't hold back. Smoothing his dry hand along the soft skin at the inside of Steve's thigh, he caught Steve's eyes and turned his head just enough that he could set his teeth at the crook of Steve's knee. It got him a whine and a tiny twitch of Steve's hips. Bringing his other hand down got him a louder whine and Steve seemed to melt back into the bedding he'd arranged.

"Tony," he pled, those now-familiar sensations of effervescent heat starting to build between them once again, "I need more."

Pleased by that reaction, Tony released the skin he'd bitten, and soothed the lingering sting he imagined he could just about feel at the inside of his own knee with his tongue. "Don't worry," he replied, bringing his lubed fingers down to tease lightly at the skin between Steve's legs, "you'll get it."

The warmth grew, sending shivers down Tony's spine, and encouraging him to push the limits a little more, sensing how pleased Steve was with the touches. Letting his fingers drift downward a bit further, Tony toyed with Steve's hole, pressing against it and hinting, teasing, but not pushing in just yet. Letting him get used to the touches.

It didn't take long for Steve to get impatient and try to thrust up to take in Tony's fingers, the heat between them building further. This had the side benefit of showing Tony -- in a way that couldn't be disputed, no less -- that Steve was definitely enjoying himself.

Gently working the tip of one finger inside, Tony watched Steve carefully, enjoying the way the two sensations of warmth mingled together, somehow both complementing and contrasting with one another in a way that defied description.

With the feelings and emotions driving them both onward, it didn't take long before Tony's patience wore thin, too, despite all his efforts to hold back and make sure they both enjoyed the tryst.

Lost in the tangled maze of emotions and responses, Tony lost touch with his sense of time and let himself just react, chasing those shivers of pleasure and doing his best to drive Steve into mindlessness without making him come again. When he pulled back from the haze enough to take stock consciously, he realised with a jolt that he had three fingers buried inside Steve, who was unashamedly writhing under the stimulation and begging for more.

"Tony, Tony come on," Steve was saying, "Tony please."

"Soon," he soothed, "almost there." Leaning up to kiss Steve made the warmth between them take on an edge of contentment and satisfaction, and Tony knew it wouldn't take him long to get addicted to that. Steve's hands came up: one to grip at Tony's shoulders for leverage, and the other to Tony's hip to urge him closer.

Giving in to Steve's insistent tugs at his hips, Tony shook his head at his new lover, amused, and did as Steve wanted. Gently pulling his fingers free, he lubed himself up, wincing to himself about the lack of a rubber. There had been none provided, though, and he hadn't brought one. Like hell was he saying no, but he had to ask the relevant question first. "Hey," he let his nose bump against Steve's when Steve whined at the loss of the fingers inside him, then went on. "Hey, Steve, I need you to focus for a second."

"Mmm?"

Tony used his dry hand to fingercomb Steve's hair back out of his face. "Before I go any farther I have to ask: do we need to use a barrier?"

"Can't catch anything from humans," Steve answered, looking like he wanted to roll his eyes. "You going to get inside me now?"

"Sir, yes sir," Tony joked, reaching down to line himself up.

Penetrative sex took the sensations he'd thought were overwhelming during the kiss and magnified them a hundredfold. The heat and want rushed through him like a tidal wave over a reef island, carrying him away on its current without recourse.

Not that Tony wanted any kind of escape.

After holding back for so long, the feeling of simply sliding into the wet silky warmth of Steve's body was nearly enough to send him over the edge and into orgasm. By the time he'd bottomed out, he was breathing hard. It was only by biting down hard on the inside of his cheek that he managed not to come immediately like a damned virgin.

The sensation was enough to make even the sting of that action pleasurable, though, and Tony soon gave up that tactic.

Steve was in no shape to complain, in any case. He seemed even more deeply ensnared in the sensations, to the point where he wasn't bothering to speak anymore.

 _\--Tony,--_ he 'said' as he whined high in his throat with his voice, _\--I need to come.--_

Taking that as his cue to bring things to their inevitable conclusion, Tony bent to kiss him once more, the unfettered feeling blooming between them at the action more arousing and pleasurable than anything else he'd ever experienced. Taking Steve's cock in hand and encouraging him to let go resulted in a sensation Tony could only liken to diving into a hot spring, headfirst. A wave of heat flowed over him, collecting at the base of his spine and tingling in his lips and fingertips. And then Steve came, the final slender threads of his control snapping, and reality faded away, replaced by Steve, filling all his senses.

In the welter of emotions and sensations, Tony only distantly felt his own orgasm.

When he came back down to earth enough to orient himself, he realised he was sprawled over Steve rather limply, his face tucked into the curve of Steve's neck, and there was a hand running through his hair with a level of tenderness he wasn't sure he'd ever experienced.

"You with me, Tony?"

Steve sounded concerned, so he pushed himself up on his elbows just far enough to catch Steve's eyes before he leaned in for another kiss, this one a quick peck.

"Yeah," he said, after he'd resolidified his grasp on speech. "That was amazing."

Looking very pleased with himself, Steve stretched, showing off all the lines of his body. Tony found himself caught between admiration, lust, and a touch of envy. He'd never looked like that and never would.

Relaxing back onto the mattress beneath him, Steve sighed contentedly. "You look like you need a nap," he commented.

Taking stock, Tony shrugged. Sure, he would probably be slightly sore in the morning, but it was so worth it for amazing sex like that. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had sex that good, let alone without trying anything special, but Steve had made the experience something extraordinary.

"That's not a bad plan," he conceded after a moment, "but what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," Steve replied. "I'll be fine. Don't need much sleep."

Not fully trusting in the accuracy of that reply, Tony eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but all he could feel through the contact they still had, pressed together from shoulders to knees, was a sort of calm contentment threaded through with smug satisfaction. He got the impression Steve would have been bragging about this to his friends if they were here.

The mental image made Tony want to shake his head. Giving in, he tucked himself close again and closed his eyes.

He definitely wanted to try riding Steve and getting him off several times in a row if he could. The thought alone was enough to send a frisson through him. But first a nap was definitely in order.

\------

When Steve woke him the next morning, shortly before dawn, Tony groaned. "It's too early."

Snickering at him, Steve prodded at his waist, getting a squirm out of Tony that rubbed the lengths of their bodies against one another pleasantly. After a beat Steve tried again. "Tony," he said, "don't you want to clean up before your friends come looking for you?"

That woke him up fully. "But the water's cold," he grumbled.

"I'll warm you back up later," Steve promised, apparently taking it for granted that Tony would be taking him back to New York.

Tony couldn't really deny it, either. He'd more or less made his decision last night, about the time Steve had been writhing on his fingers. By the time they'd fallen asleep, sated and messy, Tony had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was ruined for any other lover. Anything he did with anyone else would pale into insignificance after this kind of experience, and he'd miss the certainty that came from being able to read his lover as clearly as he could Steve. The man telegraphed his every need and want so clearly, and then rewarded fulfilling them so richly.

Peeling himself away from Steve and untangling their limbs took effort. He felt as though his muscles had been replaced with limp noodles, and his body weighted down with lead. Once he'd succeeded, he felt suddenly bereft. The lack of warmth and the feeling of emptiness that rushed in behind it made his mouth twist and he bit back a protesting whine.

That would take some getting used to.

Steve seemed to feel the same, too, judging by his expression. When Tony caught his eyes, Steve shrugged. "It's normal. Always happens the first few times. It's worse after a one-off."

Forcing the feelings aside as best he could, Tony nodded. He picked up his clothes and stepped out of the small bower without bothering to put them back on. He could do that once he was cleaned up.

He stopped short when he caught sight of the falls and the pool beneath them. A pair of brunettes, one male and one female and both nude save for the scales they wore from the waist down, watched him knowingly from the pool. They lounged on the rock he'd first spotted Steve sitting on, and smirked at him. Steve, who'd stepped out after him, gave them a put out look. Tony suspected these were Steve's friends.

"Just couldn't stay away, could you?" Steve asked them sardonically.

"Well," the merman said, "we wanted to at least meet the guy once before he carried you off. Punk."

Steve sighed. "Jerk. Alright fine. Buck, Peg," Steve's hand landed rather possessively on his shoulder, "this is Tony. Tony, my best friends Bucky and Peggy."

Unsure what the protocol was, here, Tony shifted awkwardly. "Pleasure to meet you."

Peggy looked him over from head to toe and nodded appreciatively. "Well," she quipped, "you did always have an artist's eye for form. Was he worth the wait?"

Bucky sniggered. "Yeah, Stevie," he teased. "Did he wring you dry, as you hoped he would?"

Steve went bright red.

Tony couldn't help laughing. "If not," he told Bucky, "I'll just have to try again later."

The reply got him a mocking salute. "Good luck with that. We've never managed."

And wasn't _that_ interesting. Tony gave Steve a measuring look, trying not to imagine Steve writhing between these two and begging for more. He didn't need the awkwardness that walking back to camp with an erection would cause. "Oh? I am going to have fun with you," he told his new lover.

Peggy grinned at him. "I like this one, Steve. Much better than the others."

That was probably the closest he would ever get to parental approval. Tony grinned back. "Good."

The conversation trailed off into goodbyes after that, and Tony offered them his address, on the off chance that they wanted to come visit. He waited until after they'd left to wash himself off, though. He wasn't particularly modest, but he did feel that some things were not for public display.

Silence reigned in the small clearing for a while. Eventually, when Tony was nearly dressed again, it was Steve that broke it. "Thanks," was all he said.

Tony shrugged, eyeing Steve's nakedness and hoping his friends wouldn't mind that too terribly. "Least I could do. And, don't forget, you still have to meet Pepper and Jarvis. They won't be quite as easily charmed as your friends, and those introductions would probably be easier if you had some pants to wear. Mine won't fit you."

Steve buried his face in his hands. "Don't remind me."

For his part, though, Tony was confident his friends would come around. Steve was several cuts above the rest of Tony's lovers, his gender notwithstanding. And as long as they didn't flaunt their relationship in public, they should be safe enough from the press. "Come on," Tony told him, "chin up. It can only improve from here."

"Easy for you to say," Steve grumbled at him, but he conceded the point.

In the end, Tony reflected, this trip had already turned out far better for him than most expeditions. He wasn't injured, and he'd found a staunch friend and ally in Steve, in addition to a lover. That much he was sure of. Sure, nothing on this expedition had gone according to plan, but that was normal. 'Oops, I've accidentally brought home a lover' was far preferable to 'Oops, I've gotten myself into more trouble with Baron Zemo', and he planned to point that out to Pepper and Jarvis if they put up a fuss. Granted, they hadn't found the Xi'an'du daggers, but their trip wasn't over yet.

Anyway, he was keeping Steve, and that was final.


End file.
